Let's Stay Safe!

What an odd time we are living through! Almost everyone has been impacted by the Corona Virus in one way or another. I hope you are staying healthy! The current recommendation of wearing a face mask when you venture out to get your necessities is what I will be talking about in this post.

Table Of Contents

Supplies Needed
How to sew a face mask
Instructions
How to make a no-sew face mask
Tshirt sleeve
Bandana or Piece of Fabric
For your convenience

There’s a good chance you have seen patterns on Pinterest and YouTube. I have viewed them also. Since I do quite a bit of sewing (on and off that is), I have the material, elastic and sewing machine so I can sew masks for us. Because a lot of people don’t have those things, though, I have also included a couple of no-sew options for you.

Supplies Needed

Tightly-woven cotton fabric – quilters grade
Elastic
Pins
Thread
Scissors or rotary cutter & cutting ruler
Sewing machine

The masks are fairly simple to sew and don’t take a long time to put together. If you’ve watched some of the YouTube videos, you’ll notice that there are different sizes recommended and different materials being used. Our local hospital sent out a request a couple of weeks ago for homemade masks along with a list of their requirements for size & material – that information is where I started. They requested 2 layers of quilting-type cotton fabric – one for the front of the mask and one for the back, cut into rectangles of 6″ x 9″ with 2 pieces of 1/8″ to 1/4″ elastic measuring 6 1/2″.

How to sew a face mask

The first mask I made was based on these dimensions and it fits me perfectly. However, it was too small for hubby. I made another one with the dimensions of 7″ x 10″ and the elastic 7 1/2″. That mask fits him much better. As you can see in the picture below, I have been playing with some sizes.

I have made several masks today to donate to others. The first hubby went to his Dr office wearing his mask, the staff asked him if I might be able to make 5 masks for them. I was happy to make the masks for them. One of our neighbors and a friend also requested them so I plan to keep sewing as long as my stash of material and elastic hold up which will give me masks for others too. I am adding my label so people will have the information to contact me if they need more masks.

Instructions

Cut two rectangles of fabric 6″ x 9″ or 5″ x 7 1/2″ for a child
Cut two pieces of 1/8″ to 1/4″ elastic – 6 1/2″ long each
Pin material right sides together with elastic pinned 5/8″ from each corner (see pic)
Stitch around all 4 sides using 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave an opening between the beginning and end of your stitching so you can turn the mask right side out
Trim corner pieces
Turn mask right side out
Press with iron
Make 3 tucks on each of the short ends of the mask & pin in place
Stitch around the mask 1/4″ from edge, stitching over the tucks
Stitch around the mask close to the edge

If you are making these for family members, I would suggest making one and adjusting the size of the rectangles and elastic as needed for each person.

How to make a no-sew face mask

Tshirt sleeve

Making a no-sew face mask can be really quick. If you have an old t-shirt, simply cut off one of the sleeves as pictured and tie a piece of elastic on each ‘end’. This is a great option that you can use!

Bandana or Piece of Fabric

Since I don’t have a bandana, I used a piece of 18″ x 18″ fabric. For this method, you fold the material until you have a piece that is about 5″ wide. Take 2 elasticized hair ties or rubber bands and place one around the material about 3″ from each end. Take the ends and fold one inside the other. Place the bands around your ears and adjust the material to cover your nose & mouth.

If you don’t have an old t-shirt, bandana or piece of fabric, you can always wear a turtleneck and pull it up over your face.

These are strange times indeed but we will get through it! If you are working from home or have been temporarily laid off, I hope you will be able to enjoy this downtime with your family.

Please let me know if you have any questions. If you make a mask (or several), let me know how it goes in the Comment section or by email. I wish you well!